Federal Legislative Updates April 2014

House passes Ryan budget that hurts kids, families, and seniors

The House on Thursday passed the NEA-opposed Ryan budget by a vote of 219 — 205, with no Democrats supporting it and 12 Republicans voting no. The budget sacrifices the well-being of the middle class and our most vulnerable populations, including children, to give deep tax breaks to those who need it the least. Instead of replacing the devastating sequester cuts in upcoming years, the Ryan budget would slash spending on domestic programs that help kids and families — like education — by nearly $800 billion. The maximum Pell Grant award would be frozen, making the dream of college unattainable for even more students. Medicaid, which provides healthcare for one-third of our nation’s children, would be cut by more than $700 billion. Medicare would be converted to “premium support,” a euphemism for vouchers that would shift a growing share of costs to seniors. And the entire Affordable Care Act would be repealed.

The House rejected the Democratic substitute budget, offered by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). In contrast to the Ryan budget, the Democratic alternative called for greater tax fairness to generate needed revenue; replaced the Non-Defense Discretionary sequester cuts starting in 2016; urged new investments in education; extended unemployment benefits for a year; included comprehensive immigration reform (which will lower the deficit by $900 billion); and, protected Medicaid and Medicare.

House committee advance charter school reauthorization bill

The Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act (H.R. 10), introduced by Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA), passed out of the House Education & the Workforce Committee this week. NEA noted that while the bill improves on current law in some areas, the bill falls well short of providing long-overdue parent, student, educator, community, and taxpayer safeguards for the now 23-year-old charter sector — among them, mandatory reporting and disclosure requirements that apply to other public schools. The bill also does not require charter schools to undergo independent audits or open board meetings to the public that funds the schools.

The full House is expected to take up the charter school measure in early May. NEA will be working to improve the bill, especially around accountability and transparency.

NEA weighs in on latest E-Rate plans; make your voice heard

In comments on the Federal Communications Commission’s latest proposal to modernize the E-Rate program — a vital resource for enhancing student learning that provides discounts for telecommunications and Internet access to schools nationwide — NEA expresses concern ( PDF, 98 KB, 14 pgs.) that the FCC does not appear to be interested in raising the funding cap, is proposing to redirect current funds to new uses, and is considering changes to the distribution of funding that would reduce or eliminate altogether the use of concentration of poverty, a move that would exacerbate inequities. Demand for the E-Rate was double the amount available last year, leaving many needs unmet.

Take Action: Tell the FCC how telecommunications and Internet access enhance learning for your students. A template and instructions for filing comments can be found here.

Urge Congress to help students and families by raising the minimum wage

When the Senate returns from its spring recess at the end of April, it is expected to vote on raising the federal minimum wage. Now is the time to make sure your senators know how a raise in the minimum wage would help low-income students and families, including education support professionals. More than 16 million children under age 18 — nearly 22 percent of all children — are living below the official poverty threshold. The current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, the equivalent of an annual salary of $15,080 for a full-time worker, would rise to $10.10 an hour in three steps under the NEA-supported Minimum Wage Fairness Act (S. 1737/H.R. 1010). Share your story: What would an increase in the minimum wage mean for your students’ families and your community?

As Congress takes a 2-week recess, please look for our next Education Insider when they return.

Cheers and Jeers

Cheers to:

Reps. John Tierney (D-MA) and Mark Takano (D-CA) for urging the House Education and the Workforce Committee to require board meetings of charter schools to be open to the public during the mark-up of the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act (H.R. 10).

Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) for introducing in the House the same version of the bill extending unemployment insurance passed by the Senate this week.

Jeers to:

Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), who suggested the Head Start program is a failure and backed private school vouchers during questioning of Education Secretary Arne Duncan during a hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, HHS and Education.

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), at the Appropriations hearing with Secretary Duncan,for opposing the bi-partisan early education initiative, the Strong Start for America’s Children Act, saying there are enough pre-school programs already despite the large number of students with no access to quality early childhood education programs.

April 04, 2014

‘Raise Your Hand’ event on Capitol Hill is an unprecedented success

NEA’s bipartisan Raise Your Hand event on Capitol Hill on April 2 was an unprecedented success — never before have so many teachers and education support professionals been able to tell their stories at one time to members of Congress and staff about their classrooms and students, and how federal policy can help fulfill the promise of public education for every student. “It is time for us to accelerate the transformation of public education,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “Nobody knows better than educators what their students need to succeed in the classroom.”

The day-long event, called “Real-World Perspectives on Public Education” ( PDF, 560 KB, 2 pgs.), featured four panel discussions — among classroom teachers, education support professionals, leading thinkers, and advocates for public education — and was followed by a reception celebrating educators. Speakers included Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), an NEA member and former teacher newly appointed to the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY), a long-time supporter of public education. The event kicked off a wave of activism across the country that will continue throughout the spring, amplifying educators’ messages and issues.

Ryan budget is a roadmap to ruin for students, schools, and families

The NEA-opposed fiscal 2015 budget resolution unveiled this week by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-OH) — which passed out of the Committee on a straight party-line vote — would, over the next decade, impose deep cuts in education, healthcare, and retirement programs while lowering taxes for corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Instead of replacing the devastating sequester cuts in upcoming years, spending on domestic programs that help kids and families — like education — would be slashed by nearly $800 billion. The maximum Pell Grant award would be frozen, making the dream of college unattainable for even more students. Medicaid, which provides healthcare for one-third of our nation’s children, would be cut by more than $700 billion. Medicare would be converted to “premium support,” a euphemism for vouchers that would shift a growing share of costs to seniors. The entire Affordable Care Act would be repealed under the Ryan budget plan.

“Chairman Ryan’s budget sets the wrong priorities for Americans, jeopardizes the American dream for millions of families, and takes the country in the wrong direction,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “He continues to balance the budget on the backs of the nation’s most vulnerable — low- and moderate-income Americans, children, students, and seniors — while failing to demand corporations and the rich to pay their fair share. In short, his budget again makes a mockery of shared sacrifice.”

Education-related tax provisions continued and improved

The tax extender package approved by the Senate Finance Committee this week continues and improves two NEA-supported provisions. Both the $250 a year educator tax deduction and the Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) program — which helps school districts in rural and urban communities by providing a financing mechanism to renovate buildings and invest in equipment and technology — were extended for two years. In another victory, QZAB requirements for matching funds were cut in half — from 10 percent to 5 percent, a $33 million savings for school districts.

Senate moves ever closer to restoring expired jobless aid

The Senate took additional procedural steps toward final passage, now expected on Monday, of NEA-supported legislation by Senator Reed (D-RI) and Senator Heller (R-NV) that would retroactively restore jobless aid through May. Benefits expired for some 1.3 million workers on December 28, 2013, and each week since then an estimated 70,000 Americans have joined them. The outlook in the House is uncertain. Speaker John Boehner initially dismissed the legislation, but an emerging openness among some House Republicans may be taking hold — the Education Insider will keep you posted on developments.

Cheers and Jeers

Cheers to:

Reps. Mark Takano (D-CA) and Richard Hanna (R-NY) for participating as featured speakers in NEA’s April 2 “Raise Your Hand” event on Capitol Hill. And to Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) for joining the event to support educators, as well as trumpet the need to repeal the GPO and WEP Social Security offsets that penalize public servants, like educators.

Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) for building bipartisan support for the two-year extension of the educator tax deduction.

Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), plus Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) for their leadership and support for the QZAB program and reducing the requirements for matching funds from 10 percent to 5 percent, a $33 million savings for school districts.

Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-OH) for proposing to slash spending on programs for students, seniors, and low- and moderate-income families while cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthiest Americans in his fiscal 2015 budget, and calling it “The Path to Prosperity.”

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